"In the hope ofreaching the moon,
men fail to see flowers
that bloom at their feet."
~ Albert Schweitzer~
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Me with Mickey the day we adopted one another at the vets!
Part of a painting...
Another part...
And another...
And another...
Another painting...
About Me
- Suzanne
- I live in Northern California with my hubby, our kitties, our dog and three goldfish. I'm a roseaholic and grow lots and lots. I'm also an artist and paint large canvases of usually...you guessed it, roses. I love gardening, architecture, animals, nature, and life in general. I especially love Mother Earth, digging in the soil, planting something and watching as she encourages it to grow.
Ohno! (aka Shadow) two and a half pounds of pure t-r-o-u-b-l-e!
I love pink roses! Truthfully, I love all roses, but there is something about pink...
Yup, I gave it to myself! Why? Because I'm a dear friend and because I like my own artwork!
I recieved this amazing award from Random Chick. Thank you darling!!!
First time in my life I've been "cool." I like it!
Thank you my darling Bob. Blottie = Blogging Hottie!
You bet I hauled ass to get this up now that my competition has been selected! I'll leave it here at the top for a few days! For those of you who don't know, Bob can be found at www.justbobness.com.
This is a tremendous honor ~ I am humbled. Sincere thanks to Mark, Jo and Helen.
And of course, thanks to all my peeps for making it possible!
From my dear Cielo ~ thank you!
From my dear Bindi ~ Thanks!
Love to both Bindi and Cecile for this one! Thanks!
(Oh, and almost Gig (in best Maxwell Smart voice, "Missed it by that much!")).
A special award from my dear friend Gig. Thanks honey!
Thank you darling Bindi! XO
Love the graphics! Beautiful colors! Thanks Bindi. XOXO
An anenome in my fall garden
My very sleepy Executive Assistant, Mickey
My CEO, CFO and private banker working hard in my office (Sweet Pea, Hopper & Rusty)
Yummy Hydrangeas ~ Endless summer
Newman ~ Our first kitty and the head honcho!
dearest friends, T-Bone and Hopper (Edward Hopper)
Sage ~ one of my feral kitties when he was still at the park
My little half-wine barrel pond for froggies!
Darling Sweet Pea
My favorite photo of Hopper & Rusty
I love hydrangeas!
Mr. T-Bone ~ the best door man in the world...
It's a difficult life here for the wee~ones...
White bowl...
Sweet Pea, as always, elegant...
Yummy...
Picasso ~ one of my feral kitties when he was still at the park
Ahhhh...to relax in the garden. Ha! Probably sat in them twice! Gardening is obviously a verb..
Sweet Pea and T-Bone helping me paint the living room.
Our beautiful Hopper (Edward Hopper)
The Maestro, aka Ghandi, aka "W" (Whopper!)
Mickey and his blanket
I planted a garden around the trash and recycling bins and Mother Nature smiled...
Brothers, Rusty and Sweet Pea ~~ They adore one another...
17 comments:
Lovely gift.
Virtual hug!
Is it August 8th yet?!!
Hugs to you both and thanks. I read the quote early this morning and couldn't resist sharing. Thanks too for always stopping by. It means the world to me.
XO
Is that Spanish lavender? I can smell it!
Excellent quote :)
I cried today and then afterwards I felt foolish.
Our lab is located next door to the morgue. Yes, it is creepy. This afternoon I was walking down the hall and some people in suits were wheeling a gurney out of the morgue doors. The body was draped with the American Flag, but you could still see the outline from underneith. Chills shivered up my spine and a huge lump formed in my throat. I paused and let them pass, and afterwards, I cried. Several coworkers asked if I was ok, but I was unable to speak for several moments. I kept thinking about my dad, and my sister and before I knew it I was shaking. Once I finally gained my composure, I felt extremely foolish. I explained to my coworkers why I had cried and they assured me that it wasn't foolish. I am not sure why it effected me so, but this seemed like the perfect place to tell the story. The quote is beautiful, and in a way, I suppose my crying at the sight of the fallen soldier was beautiful as well.
Yes honey, it is Spanish Lavender. I'm the biggest fan of ALL lavender and have every variety, but have tons of Spanish because it's so easy and seems to love my climate. It blooms year round. Isn't that insane!!! I should have cut it back a few weeks ago, but I'm so behind with garden chores. I'll get to all the lavender in the next week or so and try to post some photos of my beautiful handy work in August!!!!! Lavender doesn't appreciate being pruned too soon, so I think I'll be forgiven.
Oh, and you'll find this funny. The climbing rose that ate my legs the other night is underplanted with Spanish Lavender and the combo is amazing. You wouldn't think a water loving rose and a water-wise lavender could coexist, but trust me, they do. And beautifully. The lavender around the rose is the biggest on the property. Go figure!
Oh, and something else (you should never get me started on gardening because I'm relentless!), the rose is also underplanted with Thyme, Germander, Lambs Ear and Oregano and I think underplanting anything helps conserve water and also makes for a lovely garden. The garden near the trash bin was created from nothing. When I bought the house it was just pea gravel and I couldn't stand to look at just pea gravel. It's now absolutely gorgeous. I thought of plants that needed good drainage like lavender and herbs, but couldn't resist planting a few roses. Underplanting acts as a mulch and conserves water as you know. It always saddens me to see rose gardens with just roses! Unattractive and a waste of water. I wish most rose gardeners realized the benefit of underplanting and companion planting.
I used to buy all the British home and garden magazines. I still have them. I learned alot. You Brits know how to garden. You know how to underplant and conserve water. I learned so much from all of you about beauty, color and wreckless abandon!!! But also about organization, thoughtful planning, care. I still cherish every magazine.
Wow, this was long winded, hope you don't mind. I would love to write an article for a gardening magazine, but my writing skills aren't up to yours, Leah's or Megan's!!! Perhaps in another life.
Love you dear and thanks for always stopping by.
XO
Cece- I just read your comment above- you are not foolsh at all- you have a beautiful heart. If that soldier's family could ever know how you have joined in their mourning, it would bring them some comfort, i think.
Suzanne- I have a perennial geum, 'Mrs Bradshaw' which grows up through my English lavender in the summer- not exactly underplanted because the leaves need light- but the flower stems mix in with the lavender and the red and blue/mauve looks amazing. I totally agree with all that you say on underplanting.
Awesome quote, and so true. Thank you!
#8!
Just so you all know, I read Cece's comment and started to cry and ran for the phone. She's fine. I came home from the park today and saw a funeral. I realized how lucky I am to be alive and Cece does too. I often think you're supposed to be reminded you're lucky as hell.
You know how I'm struggling to end this blog, but when Cece finds comfort in my words it breaks my heart and I know it's here for a reason. If you know her, if you've heard her voice, you know what I mean. She's an amazing woman, she doesn't mess around. She's honest, kind, forgiving. And she came to my blog to write that. I'm absolutely honored that she would pick this place to share such a precious moment.
Why do I blog? This is why.
aww that's pretty!
Hi Suze,
Mr. Big is doing fine, he will go home tomorrow. I am spending the night in his room.
Great post, love the quote...don't even think of ending this blog, don't make me travel out there!!
love you,
giggie, xoxo
Giggie, I love you. Thank you. My shoulder's good. I'm so sorry Mr. Big's isn't. I know, I know, I know, I'll face this, but right now, I'm good. I'm lucky this month!!! I think you should travel out here to take care of me!!!!! What? Cece had a rough time today, but everthing worked out. She's fine.
I love you baby. I'll tell you a funny story. Phatty Foo Foo has taken over the freakin' REAL Macy's sofa and left me high and dry! Damn! These kitties are going to be the death of me!
XO
Beachbum
Hi baby!!! How are you sweetie? Have you had time to visit old friends? I sure hope so. Love you darling and so happy you're back.
XO
Karen,
Thanks darling. Love you very, very much. I had a dream about you last night. Hummmmmmmmmmmmm. Interesting.
Hi Suzanne,
Your flowers always are so nice. We are just now starting to warm up enough for things to think about becoming green. Some mornings I think that the birds are frozen to the telephone lines! Way too cold.
Best wishes,
Skeeter
Hi Skeeter! The daffs started blooming about 2 weeks ago and every day something new pops open (I have lots of variety). It's so much fun to see them arrive all sunny and pretty. They make even a cold, rainy morning a joy when I feed the birds and squirrels. I'll try to post some photos for you.
Hope your neck of the woods warms up soon. For the sake of the birds of course! I'll drop by soon to see what you're up to.
XO
No but we see all the mushrooms
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